Spanish uses two main grammatical categories: gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Nouns, adjectives, and articles change form to reflect these categories.
Plurals
. Basic Rules
- Add -s if the word ends in a vowel.
- libro → libros* (book → books)
- Add -es if the word ends in a consonant.
- canción → canciones* (song → songs)
- If the word ends in -z, change z to c and add -es.
- luz → luces* (light → lights)
. Stress and Accent Marks
- Remove the accent in the plural form if the word ends in -es and the accent was on the final syllable.
- canción → canciones*
- compás → compases*
. Words That Don’t Change
- Some words are the same in singular and plural.
- lunes* (Monday/Mondays)
- crisis* (crisis/crises)
. Plurals of Compound Nouns
- Pluralize the main noun.
- el abrelatas → los abrelatas* (can opener/can openers)
- el sacapuntas → los sacapuntas* (pencil sharpener/pencil sharpeners)
Gender
. Basic Rules
- Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine.
- niño* (boy)
- Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine.
- niña* (girl)
- Change the ending to switch gender.
- amigo → amiga* (friend)
. Common Masculine Endings
- -o, -or, -ista, -e, -ma, -s
- doctor, artista, café, problema, análisis*
. Common Feminine Endings
- -a, -ora, -ista, -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, -umbre
- doctora, artista, nación, ciudad, amistad, costumbre*
. Nouns That Are the Same for Both Genders
- Some nouns end in -ista or -e and the article changes.
- el/la artista, el/la estudiante*
. Irregular and Unique Nouns
- Some nouns have completely different forms.
- el hombre / la mujer*
- el toro / la vaca*
Match the pair: bull ___ / cow ___.
el toro / la vaca
'toro' is masculine and 'vaca' is feminine; both are irregular gender pairs.
. Using Articles and Adjectives
- Articles must agree in gender and number.
- el niño, la niña, los niños, las niñas*
- Adjectives usually follow the same pattern.
- niño alto, niña alta, niños altos, niñas altas*
Choose the correct phrase: 'the tall girls'.
las niñas altas
Use feminine plural article and add '-s' to both noun and adjective.
Choose the correct phrase: 'the tall boy'.
el niño alto
Use masculine singular article and adjective for 'niño'.
. Changing Gender in Adjectives
- Most adjectives add -a for feminine.
- alto → alta*
- For adjectives ending in -e or consonants, form is usually the same.
- inteligente, joven, feliz*
. Plural of Adjectives
- Follow noun rules: add -s (vowel-ending) or -es (consonant-ending).
- alto → altos, feliz → felices*
Summary
- Plurals: Add -s (vowels) or -es (consonants), change z→c, remove accents if needed.
- Gender: Most nouns ending in -o are masculine, -a are feminine; other endings vary. Use articles and adjectives to match.
- Adjectives: Change endings to agree with noun gender and number.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
